Tremor
by Accrue
Summary: One death among thousand of others. What difference would it make, and what could it achieve? [OC/SI-ish]
1. Chapter 1 - The Beginning

_Hey. Here's a fanfiction about Bleach, with a SI/OC. The SI aspect of the fic is debatable - I wasn't alive in the 19th century after all, and the main character doesn't know shit about the plot in Bleach_.

* * *

The line wasn't supposed to change.

A boy with a perpetual scowl has been seeing ghosts for his whole life. He meets a girl, a death god, and through some events they team up, helping spirits. He meets new people, makes some friends.

The girl had done something she shouldn't have, and she is doomed to pay the ultimate price. The boy doesn't accept it, and he goes and fights. He wins. The girl is saved.

The adventures didn't end there. The boy faced more dangers than ever. He gained a lot – but at the same time, he lost a lot.

There always had been a line. A line, or a guide, or maybe a plot, which determined what would happen. He would say this, she would answer like that. They would fight, and then they would be friends. These people would be here at that time, those people wouldn't. Always.

But this time, the line was cracked. Through some inconceivable change in what _should_ happen, something else happened.

And that led to a young man dying in Japan, 4th of March, 1881.

* * *

I walked silently in the green and lush brushes, looking at my prey. I had followed it for a long time; the sun had risen and fallen already twice now. It finally had tired, and was currently drinking water from the flowing river next to it. I was close to my limits too, for this hunt had been the longest I've had to do for a long time.

Hefting my javelin from the left hand to the right, I took a deep breath and closed my eyes. I was looking for my spirit, my soul, to aid me in the throw I was about to make. Finding and drawing the power inside I've come to know in my life in afterlife, or Soul Society, as the locals call it, I took a supporting step forward and _threw,_ but more stronger than I ever could've thrown before. The deer didn't see the weapon coming in time – only turning around at the last moment, and getting punctured in the process by a meter long sharp stick.

I've been living here in the Japanese afterlife for a year or three now. I have to admit, I was kind of disappointed. No angelic choirs or eternal happiness, or even cleansing flames or hellish landscapes. I hoped that back in whatever land I came from (I've forgotten – a very odd thing. But it seems forgetting your life is normal here, if the information I've gathered is correct.) the afterlife there is better.

Rukongai, the biggest part of Soul Society, is a shithole. I've been told that it could be worse – they say that there 80 districts here in each direction, each getting progressively shitholy-er the higher the district is. I currently live in the 64th district of the north, and I can say with certainty that the Japanese description of heaven is really, really twisted. People don't even wear shoes here – some drunk just stabbed himself on the foot last week, being barefoot.

When I arrived here in the afterlife, I had it really hard. I did know a bit of the language, but many found conversing with me too hard or useless. I had to agree with them, if they thought so. I must've sounded like a socially defunct idiot, trying to speak with limited skill.

I'm better now. I did move from the 65th district to the 64th, to get rid of my reputation as the district idiot. It got rather annoying to be seen as a dim foreigner.

Back to the present.

I took the deer, using my spiritual power to enforce my body, and started carrying it back to my abode. I had struck a deal with the local district crime lord, providing his spiritually powerful men with food, and in return I got housing and protection.

As I arrived upon my house, I dragged the body of the deer to the shack I've built. I learned fast about the stench flesh, especially rotten flesh, can make. It took me months to get the smell away from the place I actually lived in. Or maybe I just got used to it; the visitors I've had have always been eager to go.

The local crime lord, named Ishihara, is actually a fairly nice guy. Sure, he has his faults. Remember the guy who stabbed himself in the foot last week? Well, he got a few more holes in his face now, for when he fell in pain –getting your foot impaled must suck- he landed on Ishihara's newly bought straight-from-2ndDistrict mattress. And proceeded to bleed profusely. Ishihara wasn't a fan.

Instead he was (and still is!) a fan of good deals -assuming they benefitted him. And when he found out that I had been hunting in the woods infested with hollows while not getting killed at the same time, well, he offered me a fairly good deal. In the end, we both were happy: me not getting my face pierced like poor Saito had, and him getting food for his spiritually strong forces.

Ishihara has been nice to me for as long as I've known him. He even taught me a bit about the superpowers people, especially Shinigami, have. He calls it 'reiryoku', spiritual power. Apparently every spiritual being and human has it to some degree, but high, or even above average amounts of it can be hard to find. By controlling it one can enhance their bodies or manifest 'reiatsu', spiritual pressure.

Those who had high spiritual power needed food to live, hence the hunt for animals. Spirits of average reiryoku have no problem with this; they don't need to eat, and so most only eat for the taste, if at all. I myself have pretty large reserves of spiritual power – larger than any of Gatos men, I assumed. I really couldn't determine the size of their power without them releasing it, but if I could release it, and they couldn't, that must've meant something.

The release and control of reiatsu and reiryoku is taught in Shin'ō Academy, near Seireitei. Seireitei is, simply said, the afterlife of afterlife. I've never seen it, but everyone who has here in the 64th speaks high praises of it. Occasionally a few Shinigami, people who have achieved great control over their own spiritual powers, pass by. And whatever can be said about their attitude (arrogant pricks), they know they're good. With steps that are fast and silent, with strikes so fast and powerful no man can see them, and with bodies so tough that only the strongest of men can inflict harm on them, they _rule_ the Soul Society.

Many dream to become one, myself included. Who would not want power beyond compare, an afterlife worth living, a place in Seireitei? Even if Shinigami die often to strong hollows, they live lives worth living. I wouldn't call Rukongai a place for living, or even death. It is a stop, between the cycle of reincarnation.

And the way to break out of this cycle, to achieve nirvana, is to become something bigger than yourself. To become Shinigami.

But first, I'll take care of this deer.

* * *

"Masi. What're you doin' here? Don't tell me ya want more money – I already pay ya too much."

After I had brought some of the deer to Ishihara's men deep in the district, I didn't leave immediately like I usually did. I still had business in town, and I had to inform Ishihara about my intentions of leaving to become a death god. He _was_ my employer after all; I couldn't just leave him hanging, even if he was a cruel person.

So now I was in his office and being a bit intimidated by his bodyguards. Ishihara himself was a tiny man, barely reaching a meter and a half, but he compensated well enough by hiring huge thugs who looked like their mothers were hollows.

"You don't even pay me, man. I'm just here to say that I'm soon going to leave town, so you might want to hire another hunter."

"Where are you even goin'?" asked Ishihara, shaking his head. "No, wait. You goin' to Seireitei, right? We've talked about this. It ain't a good idea, Masi. They don't let no-one but the nobles and the best o' the best in."

We _had_ talked about this. Ishihara claimed that the Academy only passed nobles and the prodigies, and everyone else were sent scurrying back to Rukongai. He would know – A few hundred years ago he himself tried entering. Needless to say, he didn't manage to get in.

Maybe the standards have been less strict in current days? The 64th district has had few Shinigami. The ones who had gone to Seireitei never came back, and who would blame them? If I managed to get in, I'd rather not come back.

But one true fact remains – Ishihara's power in reiryoku is godawful. He eats only for fun and the taste, so it wasn't surprising to hear that he had been denied acceptance.

I sighed. "Yeah. I'm confident in my talents – you know that I'm good. I can even take down some of the small hollows that live in the forest."

"They're the size of squirrels."

"They're still hollows."

"Fine. Fine!" relented Ishihara. He wasn't one for long arguments. "Look, yeah, I don't mind. Ya can go, I ain't gonna keep ya hostage or anythin'. If- no, _when_ , ya get denied, ya can always come back. You're a good man."

"Thanks. Anyway, I'm leaving in a few weeks – I need to get my shit sorted out. I'll get the house empty by then."

After that, he and I hashed out the specifics of my departure. He managed to weasel out an additional hunting run, and wished me luck in the future.

* * *

Most of the 64th district was urban area – hell, most of Rukongai was. Food was often sparse, and expensive if available, mostly due to the fact that there was little to none food production. It wasn't a surprising thing, really. When ninety percent of the population doesn't need to eat, there isn't much point for farming or hunting. The few farms and plantations I've seen only sell to Seireitei, since they pay best.

Us peasants living in Rukongai with high reiryoku had a few choices: either we stole the food, we worked for the food, or we hunt the food ourselves. Most worked for it, like Ishihara's men. Not all wanted to pay workers with food (it was pretty expensive), so some were denied. Kids and old people often had to steal their food, only to get killed for it later in their afterlife. Such was the fate of many.

Stealing wasn't an option for me. Never felt like it worth it.

Especially not after I met some the thieves in 64th. I mean, there's a limit on how jaded and mean one can get, but Gin, that guy was one hardass kid. The first time I met him, he stole my wallet. The second time he tried the same thing; I caught him, only to get my nose punched with the strongest reiryoku infused punch I've ever been hit with.

Granted, I've never been hit by those before Gin, but _damn_ if it didn't hurt.

I did manage to calm him down, and offered him and his girlfriend, Rangiku, some food. They took some, even if warily. I was pretty happy to meet people with reiryoku with similar power, and I was pretty sure they were too.

We had started meeting up after that. They showed me some tricks in pickpocketing, even if I didn't plan to use them in the future, and I took them hunting a few times to show them the ropes. They were a bit frightened about the hollows first, but soon realized that the small hollows weren't much trouble.

It was nice to have some friends, even if they looked like whiny pubescent kids. They were probably closer to fifty, and older than me. Aging is odd here in Soul Society.

In any case, the point of my district excursion was to let them know that I'm going, and expecting them to follow, if not now, then in the next decade. They had a lot of talent, and Gin could beat me in our impromptu spars half of the time.

I walked down the bustling street, avoiding huge masses of people doing their daily chores and work. Gin and Rangiku lived in an old shack just beside the forest I live in. There are less people and buildings next to the forest, due to the fact that hollows reside there. I've never had a lot of problems with the hollows there – most of them are slow enough to be outrun, and I've had luck in not meeting the stronger and faster ones.

Arriving at the shack, I peeked inside, looking for familiar faces. I did see Rangiku sitting on an old mattress, nibbling on some fruit. Looked like persimmon. After noticing me, she bounced up to greet me.

"Hey, Masi! What's up?"

It was odd to look at Rangiku's features. Same went with Gin. I had asked if they actually were Japanese, but they didn't remember much from their time living. Nobody did. But come on, _white_ hair? I chalked it up as albinism – I was sure his eyes were red. If only he would open them. Compared to my features (sandy hair that curled way too easily, light complexion that burned way too easily and a pointy nose that tickled too easily) they were very odd-looking.

"Nothing much. Any idea where Gin is?"

"I dunno." she frowned. "He has been going out a lot lately. Doesn't even tell me where goes."

"I can see him doing that," I replied. Gin had always been very secretive around others. He rarely told me, or even Rangiku, about his affairs. I figured he was doing something illegal, and didn't want to tell us. "Well, I just wanted to drop by to say that I'm leaving to become a Shinigami soon. I've the money I need for the trip."

"Mm," she replied, looking contemplative. It was a hard look to pull off when eating dried persimmons.

We sat there for a while. She offered me some fruit, and I took it.

"You guys should come with." I finally said. I was pretty sure she knew I was going to say that. "You both have talent, a lot of spiritual power, and-"

"Masi, look," she interrupted, looking down at the same time. "We know you've planned this for like, a long time, and me and Gin have been thinking 'bout it, but…" she trailed off, not looking sure about what to say.

Should've know it wasn't that easy. Resigning your future to becoming a soldier against big, scary and strong monsters was no easy decision.

"But it's a big decision. I get that. Just… talk it out with him, alright?" I took a breath and stood up. "It just… it would be nice to have some company. I'm leaving in a few weeks. Pop by the forest if you want to come."

"Right. We'll consider."

* * *

Life in Soul Society was hard. I didn't have much trouble in sustaining myself, or having shelter. Those came easy – there were people willing hire me, or places to hole up in. What truly struck me hard was the _horrible_ loneliness. People often took social relations with other people for granted, but unlike in the world of the living, I had nothing. I didn't get the cultural differences, the native tongue or the people.

I never considered myself an extrovert. But as everyone knows, there's a difference between being alone and being lonely.

So when Gin and Rangiku gave me a semblance of a social life, I was happy. Sure, we weren't very close: They kept to themselves often. But you don't have to know your friends inside out to like them and trust them.


	2. Chapter 2 - The Departure

After leaving the blonde to her thoughts I went shopping for essentials for the journey towards Seireitei. I didn't need much – food could be bought on the way and I already had enough clothes to the journey. But I still went looking for items like maps, cooking equipment, paper (for writing and shitting) and different herbs and spices. The market was supposed to have everything a Rukongai citizen would need.

The 64th district's market was something that described life in the Rukongai perfectly. A combination of streets filled with people pushing each other and kids running beneath their legs, filth and dirt covering the street itself, humid and warm air dampening the surroundings and merchants shouting and yelling about prices. There were a few thugs shaking money out of some poor man in the dark corner near some vegetable stalls, which were in turn being harassed about their high prices ("I could buy me a house o' gold with this kind o' money!"), _which_ in turn were being stolen from by some street urchins. Said urchins were just noticed, and were sprinting away with great vigour from the market guards.

Life was well in the 64th.

Having a tight hold on my wallet, I went and did my business. I bought myself some pots, pans and utensils, a hammock, some odd firemaking device that worked with reiryoku, which cost me half my budget for the day, and some salves for muscle-aches and bruises. I was a regular at the salve-seller, and so got off with only light overpricing. The saleswoman was a vicious haggler.

Wandering back towards my house I wondered. Wondered about my future, about the trip to come. The route to the Seireitei wasn't easy – it's a long journey, going up to eight months on foot. Not to mention the necessary food, shelter and possible crime I (or we, if my small friends would come) might encounter.

I had no doubts that I would go, but I had to wonder. Not only about the journey, but even about life as a soul-reaper. The dangers I would face, the people I would meet; It all was exhilarating, and a bit scary to think about. You never knew about the future.

* * *

The weeks passed by in a blur. I did my chores, cleaning out my house and hunting animals. I sharpened my javelin and packed all kinds of useful items for my journey. Dressed in some old shirt and trousers that I wouldn't mind getting dirty I took off towards the road leading into the lower-numbered districts.

Gin and Rangiku had informed me that they wouldn't come with. And I got that, I did. Still hurt a bit. They said that they wouldn't come now, but maybe later in their lives. I just hoped that they would come sooner than later. The kids had talent, after all.

I took one look back at my house and the forest around it. This was it; I wouldn't be coming back. I had a lot of memories of the 64th: good ones and bad ones. I remember how I managed to kill my first hollow – this dog-sized bloodthirsty creature. I remember how Gin and I sparred here – I could even see marks of our scuffles on the trees.

I took off.

It was early in the morning and the sun was just rising, giving the sky a red tint. I had already said my goodbyes, so nobody came to see me off. That didn't mean that the main road to the 63rd was empty, far from it. Numerous wagons and travellers on foot or on horse were going in both ways.

Many new souls think that the districts in Soul Society are clearly defined. I did too – When I learned of districts, I thought that they were separated and self-sufficient. Guess I was wrong. Soul Society is actually an enormous city, filled to the brim. Sure, there might be some forests inside (like the one in the 64th) but compared to the vastness of Soul Society they were more or less parks.

So when I was travelling out of the 64th I wasn't surprised to see no difference in the cityscape. I had heard that from the 10th district and up there were supposed to be some border checks, to keep the 'unsavory' types out. I just hoped that when I got there I wouldn't be considered as one.

After a long day of walking I made camp in a nearby forest. I had just arrived to the 63rd district, but I didn't feel like finding an inn or some small-scale hut to sleep in. Those kinds of establishments were expensive as hell – not to mention the fact that one would probably wake up without their money or belongings.

So I looked for a suitable tree to sleep in. Usually camping out in the wild wasn't smart – even the smallest hollows could kill you if they had the advantage of surprise. That advantage could be fortunately mitigated by hiding your physical presence and suppressing your reiatsu. I did both; I climbed up tree, took my hammock out and tied it up between the tree's branches. Then I suppressed my reiatsu, making it as small as I could. Getting myself comfortable and thanking the nice warm weather I closed my eyes, ready to sleep.

* * *

I woke up in a meadow, filled with grass and flowers. I looked around and couldn't see anything else but fields of green. This didn't look like Rukongai.

Where was I?

A dream, maybe? Usually dreams weren't so detailed; I could feel the slight wind blowing and the rustling of the grass. I've had never experienced a lucid dream before, so I couldn't compare this to anything, but I assumed that dreams didn't usually _feel_ this real.

Doing the classic 'trying to wake myself up' routine by pinching myself and blinking rapidly didn't help. It seemed like I was stuck here for now.

So I started walking around, looking for, well, anything. It was pretty serene, and quite nice to just relax and enjoy the weather of my mindscape. I padded along the grass, going in a random direction (not like I had any choice – everything around me was pretty much the same).

But as a went towards the direction I picked, I felt something. Something _thrummed,_ and I felt drawn to a location. I started moving towards whatever was calling for me, and I…

… I woke up, falling from the branch headfirst. Filling my hands and feet with reiryoku I managed to twist in the air, landing on all fours. Looking up, I saw the reason for my fall; a hollow the size of a bear was looming in front of me, already striking with its huge claw. He must've sensed me somehow, and had cracked the tree enough for me to fall down.

The hollow struck true – I didn't have any time to dodge. I tried to redirect the attack, and it worked to a degree. Instead of skewering me through, the hollow sliced through the top part of my left shoulder.

The strike forced me flying backwards, and I landed a few meters away from the monster. I checked my wound as fast as I could, looking for any hollow influences. Sometimes they had acid or paralyzing agents in their attacks, and that could end the fight fast.

I had fought hollows before. In the 64th I did it monthly; There always were some small-time hollows in the forest prowling about. They were strong for their size (most were the size of dogs), but I usually got the drop on them. I was _good_ at suppressing my reiatsu.

Strength factors very little in a situation where there is no chance to use it.

In this situation I couldn't use my suppressing skills to my advantage. The hollow had gotten the drop on me, and I had paid for it. I still believed I could win – it just became harder. I just needed my weapon.

The bear-like hollow didn't want give me time to do that, and started running towards me, its white mask littered with blue stripes glimmering in the moonlight. I had no intention staying where I stood, so I jumped to the side, dodging my enemy's strike.

Ignoring my bleeding left shoulder, I ran towards my javelin. It had fallen with my belongings and was lying on the ground. I heard the hollow screaming – of rage or of something else, I couldn't tell. I could hear its legs stomping, getting closer to me.

Grabbing my javelin, I swiftly turned around, ready to face the corrupted soul. I picked an opportune time to do so – it was already in the air, leaping towards me with its mouth open. Using my enhanced strength, I turned and stabbed my weapon at the hollow's mask.

Hollows had similar weaknesses with humans, they just were absurdly strong or fast. That didn't mean they didn't have weak spots – far from it. As far as I knew, cutting or breaking a hollows mask could kill it easily. I had practiced my swings and strikes and throws for years now, and I _knew_ I could hit a moving target. Especially when it was as big as this one.

So when my javelin destroyed the hollows mask, making the creature scream and writhe and finally collapse into dust, I sighed in relief and closed my eyes.

I didn't have time to rest, though. There could be more hollows about, and I was weak. My javelin was also broken – the metal end twisted to unusable levels and the wooden body of the weapon broken to pieces. A big loss; it cost a lot to buy.

So I huddled towards my fallen and scattered equipment, looking for my salves and bandages to stop my shoulder from bleeding. Finding some, I applied them quickly as possible. The salves burned, making me hiss in pain, but I could feel it directing ambient spiritual power towards my shoulder. They were high-quality salves – the wound was closing, albeit slowly and weakly.

I probably wouldn't be able to use my left shoulder for a while. The salve didn't actually _heal_. It basically sucked ambient reishi and solidified, making a big plaster. I was pretty sure it also sped up the natural healing process by a bit.

I sat down after that, ready to apply my bandages to make sure I won't break the plaster any time soon. Sitting down and feeling the adrenaline flowing away from me I felt so tired and weary. I would just… lie down for a bit before putting them on. Yeah. Only a few minutes, hollows wouldn't bother me…

* * *

"-up, c'mon. Rise and shine."

I grumbled, annoyed that someone had woken me up from my blissful sleep. Since when was it polite waking up sleeping people?

Opening my eyes, I took in my surroundings. Trees everywhere around, bushes covering the place...

Oh _shit_. I had fallen asleep in the forest. I shouldn't stay here anymore; the hollows might be coming at any moment. I quickly stood up, groaning when my shoulder started aching, and promptly leaned against the tree behind me. Someone was supporting me – I guess I had company.

"Woah, take it easy, idiot. You can't move much with that shoulder," she said, slipping her arm under my uninjured arm and helped me rise. "It might open up if you twist it around much, so don't start flailing."

She helped me up, making it easy to see who my helper was.

She seemed of similar age as me, at least physically. She was slim, with short black hair and sharp features. I could tell the young woman was strong – considering how easily she lifted me up I couldn't doubt it. I could sense that she enforced her muscles with reikyoku.

"How long was I out?" I asked, blinking away the rays of sunlight. It was morning, so I guessed I slept for a few hours.

"How should I know?" she countered, picking up my bag and giving it to me the same time. "I just found you. Not the smartest idea to sleep in the forest. If you didn't know, there _are_ hollows here. You could've died."

 _And wouldn't I know_ , I thought, smiling. "I was sleeping on top of the tree. Most monsters don't bother me there, but this one bastard did."

"I figured. You're injured, bad," she said, taking a step back with a frown. "You going to be okay walking out to the district?"

"Yeah, I think _-ugh-_ I can," I said, taking a few test steps to make sure I would be able to move. My legs were completely fine, but the pain in my shoulder felt horrible. Thankfully, it wouldn't feel that bad in a couple of hours. Hooray for mystical reikyoku healing powers. "If there are no distractions, I guess."

I started gathering my belongings from the ground. Nothing was missing, so the only thing I lost was my javelin. A damn shame – I had had it for long. "Thanks for waking me up. I might've been in trouble if you hadn't."

She smiled, and scratched her scalp beneath her dark hair. "No problem. Just don't be a dumbass again. You from another district?"

"Mmhm. 64th, just passing by." Having gathered everything in my bag, I slung it over my better shoulder, wincing a bit. "I'm going to stay for a day or two, though. Get my shoulder a bit better and find a new weapon."

"You going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Seireitei. Going to be a Shinigami."

"Hmm. No shit?" she seemed to ponder something, holding a fist under her chin. "You want to hole up in my place for the time you're here?"

"Uh, I wouldn't mind. But what's in it for you? Would I have to pay?" I frowned. In Rukongai there were no random acts of kindness – there was always an ulterior motive. "I don't have much."

"Nah, you don't need to pay." She smirked, beckoning me to follow her. "I can tell you what I'd want later. C'mon, follow me."

I sighed, thinking about what she would want from me. I could refuse, but I was aching all around, tired, and really wanted to clean myself. She didn't seem like a thief – she would've taken my bags if she was. So I followed her, and we walked towards civilization, she with her arms behind her head and I with horrible shoulder pains.

"By the way – what's your name?"

"Masi. No surname. You?"

She turned around, grinning. "I'm Shino. No surname."


	3. Chapter 3 - The Meeting

Shino's house was actually kind of nice. After arriving at the 63rd she took me through some odd shortcuts, avoiding the people moving about in the morning. We even passed through a tunnel, and after a few kilometers that felt way longer than they were, we arrived.

Walking inside, I was expecting something small and worn-out. It was small, but cozy and well-furnished. There were carpets on the ground, covering the wooden floor. Some wall ornaments, a _real_ bed, some scrolls lying on the ground, a mirror, cupboards – compared to my old place, or Gin's and Rangiku's, this was a pretty nice one.

I must've been standing out in the doorway for too long, because Shino pretty much pushed me inside. She grumbled about something while walking to a room next to the main one.

"You can use my bed while here," she said through the wall. "I'll go get some things from the market – you can just rest. We'll talk later."

Laying down on the admittedly comfy bed, I closed my eyes and enjoyed the relaxing feeling it brought. My shoulder hadn't eased up much – moving around hadn't helped.

Shino stepped out of the side room with a bag over her shoulder. She frowned at me. "You might want to clean yourself up. You look like shit, and you're messing up my blankets."

Huh. Now that she mentioned it, my shirt is pretty messy. "Uh- crap, I'm sorry. You have any water around?" I asked, feeling rather uncomfortable. It wasn't very polite to dirty your host's room.

"Yeah. My neighbor has a bath on the alley next to this one – Just give him some money and he'll let you use it. It's pretty clean water too," she said, already leaving through the door. "See you in a couple of hours."

I watched her go, and laughed a bit when she turned around and shouted: "Don't steal anything!". She was clearly taking a risk here, showing trust towards me hoping I would repay it back. And I would – she seemed like a nice person. I wasn't the best judge of characters, but Shino seemed genuine and well-meaning enough.

So I went out to clean myself, paying the neighbor a few kan to use the bath. I managed to clean myself well, but cleaning my clothes from the dried blood proved to be too difficult. I grudgingly threw them away and took out my spare clothes. The clothes lasted only a day, and if this continued I would run out of shirts and trousers soon.

Finally resting on Shino's bed I carefully checked my shoulder. The wound hadn't opened, which was great. Unfortunately, it seemed I hadn't applied enough salve, and the hardened reishi was very brittle and weak. Putting pressure on the plaster could break it, not to mention someone punching it. The wound under it probably hadn't coagulated yet, and opening it up wouldn't do any good now, without means to treat it.

I didn't have anything to do, so I just sat there waiting for Shino to come back. I still had no idea what she would want from me – she hadn't given me any hints on the matter while going here.

She finally came back, the bag she had with her filled to the brim. Throwing the bag down and pulling a chair for herself, she sat down, leaning forward and looking intently at me.

I quirked an eyebrow at her, wondering what made her this serious. "You're going to divulge what you want?"

"Yes." Shino cleared her throat, and sat up straight from her leaning position, taking a formal tone. "For housing you for an indeterminate time, treatment of your wounds, and general help such as, but not limited to, shopping for items, emotional support, and telling what you are doing wrong, I would join you on your journey towards Seireitei whenever you leave the district."

"Uh, you want a bodyguard?" I asked, a bit confused. There must be many people willing to bodyguard others – you usually didn't ask a random person you found in the forest to be one. "I don't really do bo-"

"I don't _need_ a bodyguard!" she bristled, anger reddening her cheeks. "I'm going to be a Shinigami too, and I figured two would be better than one! Besides, I'm strong. Strongest in the district, I'm sure."

"Never said you weren't strong! I just assumed…" my reply withered away at her glare. She pulled off the 'piercing look' really well. Rangiku could never achieve that. "…nothing. I know you're strong – I felt you filling your muscles with reikyoku back at the forest. Not many can do that."

"You sensed that?" Shino grinned, anger seemingly forgotten. "Pretty awesome, right? You get now why I would go and be a Shinigami?"

"I do, yeah," I answered, wondering if her emotions flung around this much normally. "But why haven't you left yet?"

"What do you mean?"

She looked confused, so I clarified my question: "You clearly have Shinigami potential. You need to eat, right?" After her nod, I continued. "You also seem enthusiastic to go to Seireitei. So why're you still here in the 63rd?"

Shino clearly didn't want to answer the question, and started stammering. "I uh, well, I guess I never felt like it? No, I mean- fuck, whatever. It doesn't matter, does it? It's personal."

Fair enough. Everybody had their secrets and mysterious and dark pasts, so I wasn't going to pry. That usually led to conflict, and I wasn't looking for that. I doubted her reasons for not telling wouldn't bite us in the ass at some point, but small portions of trust went far.

"Okay. Don't worry, I get it," I answered, resigned. "I wouldn't mind if you stuck with me to Seireitei. Heh, we might even be colleagues in future, so it's better to know each other."

She smiled radiantly. A rare sight in Rukongai. "I'd like that."

* * *

After agreeing on travelling together to the Academy, Shino pulled out some medical items, ready to treat my shoulder as per our agreement. We both knew that leaving the hardened reishi as it was wouldn't do me any favors (the wound could heal 'wrong', making use of reikyoku harder), so she had some bandages, disinfectants, and dabs of cotton near her hands ready to pluck out any dirt or other crap I'd gotten inside the plaster.

The process was painful; I was pretty sure it hurt more than the wound-inducing strike itself. But it was necessary – I had seen what happened to men with untreated wounds. Having spiritual power lowered the damage of what letting the wound fester would do, and sicknesses were rare in Soul Society, but I didn't want to risk anything. Anyhow, proper help sped up the recovery, and I didn't want to be stuck at the 63rd for any longer than I had to.

So I sucked it up, and ground my teeth together while Shino used a needle and some thread to sew the cut up. She was quick with hands, and clearly knew how to handle wounds. It seemed to be something she knew from her past life, but she couldn't remember anything about it.

After she was done, it was already late in the evening. We both were exhausted, and after a brief debate ("You take the bed!" "No, you take it!") I ended up sleeping on the bed, relaxing after a long day. Shino took out a mattress from somewhere, and fell asleep before me. Listening to her quiet snoring I fell asleep not long after her.

* * *

Waking up, I felt refreshed. The medicine had done it's work well, and I was already feeling much better. I left the bed and went outside without waking up Shino, and watched the morning sun rising. It was a ritual of mine – Ever since I died I took solace in the things that I used to like. I think I used to like watching the sun rise. I don't remember if I did, but I do now.

It's nice to see that something stays the same in this world. People may die, people may be reborn, but the sun always rises and falls.

I sat there for a while, listening to the sounds of life. The birds were chirping, people were getting up, the neighbor's cat was skulking around, some kids had woken up early and were running around. This only made me more determined in being a Shinigami. This was something to valued and protected.

Shino had woken up; I heard her doing something in the small kitchen of hers. We had agreed on buying some weapons – my javelin had broken and she didn't have anything apart from a few knives. Unfortunately, good weapons were expensive and we probably wouldn't get much out of our meager amounts of kan.

I hoped that the Shinigami Academy didn't require us buying our own swords. Hell, I couldn't even afford a proper sword handle, not to mention a Shinigami sword.

Eventually Shino came out and threw me a piece of bread and an apple. Breakfast, I assumed.

"Eat up, eat up," she said, eager to go. "We better go to the weapon shop as fast as possible. The owner is less grumpy in the morning."

"You know him?" I asked.

"Her, and yeah. She's a friend. Might even give a discount." She answered. "Are we going?"

"I guess I'll eat on the way." I sighed, having only taken one bite of the bread.

We walked towards the shop with a moderate pace, me eating my bread and Shino chattering about some mundane topics. She clearly was glad about becoming a Shinigami, and her giddiness was infectious. With my shoulder in good condition I felt even better.

The weapons that were for sale were rather good quality for a shop in the 63rd. Shino managed to harass the owner to give a sizable discount, and we left two low-quality zanpakutō-sized swords in our hands. They probably weren't _true_ zanpakutō, but they could be good practice for the future.

Going back to Shino's house, we dodged a few street urchins trying to steal the swords and started packing for our trip. My shoulder wasn't in the best condition, but I didn't want to wait – I itched to go on the road.

We finished on midday. Shino said her tear-filled goodbyes to her neighbors and the weapon store owner. The owner also threatened to crush me and my appendages if I did anything wrong towards Shino.

And so we left, the sun blazing on top of us. I never thought I would get company on the journey, but I was sure it wouldn't hurt.


End file.
